The investigation, said the company, was initiated in response to a health complaint lodged by a consumer. The incident has since triggered a widespread discussion and speculation on social media.

In a statement, the company said that upon receiving the complaint, it launched immediate action to contact the consumer and conducted internal checks.

It said that in line with its procedure, a sample of the product was obtained from the consumer and sent to both its internal lab and a certified independent laboratory for testing.

Dutch Lady said it has also met with the Health Ministry and is working closely with them to resolve this matter. It said an announcement will be made when the full investigation has been completed.

“At Dutch Lady Malaysia, we take incidences like these seriously and reassure our consumers that their health and well-being is always our highest priority. At this point, our initial findings from the internal quality control process show that there are no quality deviations in the product and our milk is safe to be consumed,” said Dutch Lady Malaysia managing director Tarang Gupta.

Gupta said the company is also addressing speculation raised on social media regarding its packaging.

“We’re aware that inaccurate information has started spreading on social media as netizens share their concerns. In the interest of our consumers, we need to correct speculations that have mistakenly identified certain packaging details as counterfeit indicators.”

The company clarified that the products listed below are authentic Dutch Lady products:

* Batch codes beginning with 100, 101, 102 and 103

* Expiry dates that end with (R), (W1), (W2) and (W3)

* Packaging variants with both spellings of “Calcium” and “Kalsium”

* Packaging variants showing the FrieslandCampina logo with and without a white box

The company advised the public not to make or spread false information that could cause further public distress.

“We encourage concerned consumers to verify their information with our careline before posting or sharing on social media,” said the company.

The Health Ministry today said it was conducting an investigation over claims that a child broke out in rashes, had diarrhoea and fever after consuming promotional samples of the Dutch Lady Curious (900g) milk formula.

Health director Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement, said milk formula for children has to comply with Regulation 91B of the Food Act 1983.